This invention relates to a conveyor apparatus which forms a plurality of rows of advancing flat articles such as confectionery items, from a single incoming article row.
British Patent No. 1,594,810 discloses an apparatus which divides a single incoming row of bottles into a plurality of outgoing rows. The rows are formed on a plurality of conveyor belts between guide rails extending in the transporting direction. For deflecting a bottle series into a second row, an inclined first deflecting pusher is moved to a second deflecting pusher so that the bottles are deflected into a second row along the two pushers. If again the first row is to be supplied with bottles, both pushers are retracted and thereafter the second pusher is advanced so that the subsequent bottle, passing the second pusher, moves into the first row. Upon such an operation two bottles at the downstream end of the second pusher are not guided which may lead to crowding and operational disturbances. It is a further disadvantage of this known apparatus that its output rate is relatively low.